Field
Example embodiments in general relate to a variable diameter discharge system for controlling the flow and distribution of a material being fed into a bin.
Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Material storage bins have been in use for many years to receive and store materials such as grain and the like. Such material storage bins are often filled via a bin opening through which the materials are fed, such as by an auger. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary material storage bin of the prior art which is commonly used.
As shown in FIG. 1, simply feeding materials through an unregulated bin opening may result in faster feeding of the material, but will typically result in uneven distribution of the materials within the bottom of the bin. FIG. 1 illustrates that materials are collecting toward the right side of the material storage bin in an uneven manner. This will result in uneven distribution of materials within the material storage bin, which can prevent the bin from efficiently storing materials. This may also lead to uneven weight distribution within the material storage bin which could affect the structural stability of the bin.